Common Occupational Skills
12%of exam
Cleaning before disinfectionLabel and SDSConsultation and drapingTools and mentoring
Hair and Scalp Care
9%of exam
Density and texturePorosity and elasticityShampoo and conditioningDefer and refer
Cuts Hair
20%of exam
Elevation and distributionGuides and cross-checksTool-specific blade chartsFacial and nape cutting
Styles Hair
13%of exam
Wet setsFinger waves and curlsThermal protectionUpdos and additions
Chemical Texture Services
14%of exam
Product-specific processingThio reduction and oxidationHydroxide chemistryCompatibility and integrity
Alters Hair Colour
21%of exam
Level and toneColour correctionDeveloper compatibilityStrand and allergy tests
Specialized Services
5%of exam
Wigs and hairpiecesExtension systemsFacial colour safetyNon-common-core distinction
Salon Operations
6%of exam
Scheduling and complaintsInventory controlsMarkup and marginLocal business obligations
Quick Facts
- Exam
- 120 four-option questions
- Testing time
- 4 hours/240 minutes
- Passing mark
- 70% =84/120
- Colour/Cutting
- 25/24 questions
- Card allocation
- 50 cards; eight proportional topic groups
- National credential
- Endorsement on provincial/territorial certificate
- Ontario distinction
- Provincial CoQ; currently no RSE
- Retakes/fees
- Check administering jurisdiction
Official Item Counts
A14 B11 C24 D16 E17 F25 G6 H7
Total 120Colour 25Cutting 24Texture 17
Cleaning and Sterilization
Cleaning
- Removes soil
- Precedes required disinfection
- Does not imply sterile
Sterilization
- Validated microbial destruction
- Includes bacterial spores
- Required according to risk
Disposal is not a decontamination level
Safety and Scope Choices
- Reusable tool soiled→Clean before required disinfection(Follow local IPAC)
- Item intended single-use→Discard after use(Do not reprocess)
- Chemical splash/exposure→Follow SDS and emergency procedures(Route-specific first aid)
- Suspected contagious scalp problem→Defer unsafe service and refer(Do not diagnose)
- Ontario Red Seal expectation→Check provincial CoQ pathway(Currently no Hairstylist RSE)
Safety and Product Instructions
- Cleaning
- Remove soil before disinfection
- Reusable tools
- Risk-based cleaning and disinfection
- Single-use items
- Discard; disposal is not sterilization
- Disinfectant authorization
- Check current Canadian authorization
- Contact time
- Keep wet for label duration
- SDS sections 4 and 8
- First aid; exposure controls/PPE
- Draping
- Protect skin and clothing
Texture and Density
Texture
- Individual strand diameter
- Fine, medium, coarse
- Affects product/tool choices
Density
- Hair count per area
- Sparse through dense
- Affects section size
Assess both; do not substitute
Hair and Scalp Assessment
- Texture
- Individual strand diameter
- Density
- Strands per scalp area
- Porosity
- Moisture uptake and retention
- Elasticity
- Stretch and recovery
- Cuticle/cortex/medulla
- Shaft layers; medulla may absent
- Suspicious scalp signs
- Defer unsafe services; refer
- Conditioner selection
- Match condition and intended service
Stationary and Traveling Guides
Stationary
- Guide remains fixed
- Can preserve increasing length
- Requires controlled overdirection
Traveling
- Guide moves through sections
- Maintains chosen shape relationship
- Needs consistent distribution
Cross-check the finished natural fall
Cut and Style Choices
- Weight line desired→Select appropriate lower elevation(Check natural fall)
- Length must increase toward perimeter→Consider stationary guide/overdirection(Technique-dependent)
- Curly hair length uncertain→Cut conservatively and dry-check(No fixed shrinkage)
- Thermal tool too hot→Reduce heat; reassess hair(Avoid scalp contact)
- Wet set complete→Dry and cool before dressing(Preserve pattern)
Cutting Controls and Guides
- Elevation
- Lift away from natural fall
- Low elevation
- Generally retains more weight
- High elevation
- Generally increases layering
- Overdirection
- Redistributes length and weight
- Stationary guide
- Fixed reference; increasing length possible
- Traveling guide
- Moves with successive sections
- Cross-check
- Verify using alternate sectioning
Tools and Facial Cutting
- Blade numbers
- Use manufacturer length chart
- Shear maintenance
- Clean, lubricate, adjust as directed
- Razor technique
- Control sharp edge and skin
- Curly hair
- Allow actual shrinkage; dry-check
- Texturizing
- Respect integrity; avoid excessive removal
- Facial/nape design
- Follow growth and desired outline
- Disposable razor blades
- Discard safely after permitted use
Styling Patterns and Heat
- Finger wave
- Alternating connected C-shaped ridges
- Pin curl
- Base, stem, circle control result
- Roller placement
- Controls lift and direction
- Cool before dressing
- Helps preserve formed pattern
- Thermal tools
- Match temperature to hair/system
- Updo support
- Secure without traction or pain
- Hair additions
- Use compatible attachment and maintenance
Texture Safety
History, integrity, compatibility, instructions
No incompatible overlapSystem neutralizerMonitor condition
Thio and Hydroxide
Thio
- Disulfide reduction
- Specified oxidizing neutralizer
- Product-specific processing
Hydroxide
- Lanthionization
- Specified neutralizing-shampoo process
- Incompatible overlap risk
Do not interchange chemical systems
Texture Service Choices
- Unknown chemical history→Investigate and test compatibility(Do not guess)
- Previously hydroxide-treated lengths→Avoid incompatible thio processing(No overlap)
- Fragile or damaged test strand→Decline unsafe chemical service(No acid-wave shortcut)
- Perm ready for rinsing→Follow specified rinse/blot sequence(No universal minutes)
- Neutralizer selection→Use the selected system’s neutralizer(Never interchange)
Chemical Texture Controls
- Thio solution
- Reduces disulfide links
- Thio neutralizer
- Specified oxidation reforms links
- Hydroxide relaxer
- Lanthionization; different neutralization system
- Acid wave
- Not automatically safe on damage
- Rod diameter
- Influences resulting curl size
- Perm rinse/blot
- Use system-specific sequence and times
- Relaxer retouch
- Avoid previously treated overlap
Complementary Colours
Blue–orange; violet–yellow; green–red
Assess levelAssess exposed pigmentUse product formula
Patch and Strand Tests
Allergy-alert/patch
- Skin reaction screening
- Manufacturer method and timing
- Negative result not guarantee
Strand
- Hair response and strength
- Compatibility and timing
- Checks actual colour result
Different tests; neither replaces consultation
Colour Service Choices
- Unsafe strand-test result→Decline or revise service(Integrity first)
- Unwanted orange tone→Consider appropriate blue-based formulation(Assess actual level)
- Porous blonde going darker→Assess pigment replacement/filler need(System-specific)
- Artificial colour blocks lighter target→Plan compatible removal/correction(No guaranteed lift)
- Adverse skin/scalp reaction→Stop and follow emergency guidance(No further processing)
Colour Theory and Formula
- Level
- Lightness/darkness, product scale
- Tone
- Warm/cool colour character
- Blue
- Counteracts orange
- Violet
- Counteracts yellow
- Green
- Counteracts red
- Underlying pigment
- Assess actual exposed contribution
- Grey coverage
- Use product-specific base and formula
Colour Application and Correction
- Developer concentration
- Strength does not guarantee lift
- Virgin versus regrowth
- Placement depends on hair/history
- Previously coloured hair
- Lighter tint may not remove dye
- Going darker
- Assess missing pigment; filler possible
- Allergy-alert test
- Follow manufacturer; no safety guarantee
- Strand test
- Check result, compatibility, integrity
- Adverse reaction
- Stop; follow emergency/product guidance
Specialized Services and Scope
- Human hair
- Real fibre; processing still conditional
- Synthetic fibre
- Heat/chemical limits depend on system
- Extensions
- Assess tension, attachment, maintenance
- Facial colour
- Use site-approved product only
- Ordinary scalp dye
- Do not assume eye-area suitability
- G-17.01 depilation
- Not common core in RSOS
- C-8 cutting
- Separate from G-17.01 depilation
Reorder Trigger
Demand during lead time plus safety stock
6×1+8 =14Trigger differs from quantityExpiry-aware rotation
Markup and Gross Margin
Markup
- Gross profit/cost
- $15/$10 =150%
- Cost is denominator
Gross margin
- Gross profit/sales
- $15/$25 =60%
- Sales is denominator
Use the stated denominator
Salon Numbers and Business
- Reorder point
- Lead-time demand plus safety stock
- ROP example
- 6/week ×1week +8 =14tubes
- Stock rotation
- Use expiry and receipt dates
- Markup
- Gross profit divided by cost
- Gross margin
- Gross profit divided by sales
- $10 cost/$25 sale
- 150% markup;60% gross margin
- Chair-renter payroll
- CRA special EI rules may apply
Common Traps
Endorsement and Practice Authority
Red Seal endorsement ≠ Automatic local practice authorization
Exact and Rounded Shares
Official item counts ≠ Exact use of rounded percentages
Product-Specific and Universal Rules
Manufacturer-specific safe use ≠ Universal heat/time/lift promises
Patch Test and Safety Guarantee
Negative patch-test result ≠ Guaranteed freedom from allergy
Depilation and Razor Cutting
G-17.01 non-common-core depilation ≠ C-8 common-core cutting tasks
Markup and Gross Margin
Gross profit divided by cost ≠ Gross profit divided by sales
Last Minute
- 1.120 questions; pass: 70% = 84 correct
- 2.4 hours; average: 2 min/question
- 3.Common skills: 14 questions
- 4.Hair/scalp care: 11 questions
- 5.Cutting: 24; styling: 16 questions
- 6.Chemical texture: 17 questions
- 7.Colour: 25; specialized services: 6 questions
- 8.Salon operations: 7 questions
- 9.Red Seal ≠ national practice licence
- 10.Patch screens allergy; strand checks hair
- 11.Clean first; disinfect per authorized-product label
- 12.Never overlap hydroxide and thio treatments
- 13.Eye-area colour requires site-approved product
- 14.Eligibility/fees/rewrites: administering jurisdiction decides
- 15.Markup = (price − cost)/cost
- 16.Gross margin = (price − cost)/price
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